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Bloody Elbow

UFC 144 TV Ad: Flying Octagon Invading Japan

Via BE reader Matt Parker, here's a TV ad the UFC is running in Japan to promote this Saturday's UFC 144 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

UFC LW champ Frankie Edgar defends his title against former WEC champ Ben Henderson. The co-main event features Quinton "Rampage" Jackson versus The Ultimate Fighter 8 winner Ryan Bader. Yoshihiro Akiyama makes his welterweight debut against Jake Shields, Hatsu Hioki faces Bart Palaszewski and more.

Fight card is after the jump.

SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson

Star-divide

Main Card:

Frankie Edgar (14-1) vs. Ben Henderson (15-2) [LW Title]

UFC® 144

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (32-9) vs. Ryan Bader (13-2)

UFC® 144

Mark Hunt (7-7) vs. Cheick Kongo (17-6-2)

UFC® 144

Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-4, 2 NC) vs. Jake Shields (26-6-1)

UFC® 144

Anthony Pettis (14-2) vs. Joe Lauzon (21-6)

UFC® 144

Yushin Okami (26-6) vs. Tim Boetsch (14-4)

UFC® 144

Hatsu Hioki (25-4-2) vs. Bart Palaszewski (36-14)

UFC® 144

Preliminary Card:

Takeya Mizugaki (15-6-2) vs. Chris Cariaso (12-3)

UFC® 144

Norifumi Yamamoto (18-5, 1 NC) vs. Vaughan Lee (11-7-1)

UFC® 144

Riki Fukuda (17-5) vs. Steve Cantwell (7-5)

UFC® 144

Takanori Gomi (32-8, 1 NC) vs. Eiji Mitsuoka (18-7-2)

UFC® 144

Tiequan Zhang (15-2) vs. Issei Tamura (6-2)

UFC® 144

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Comments

I prefer the traditional UFC marketing

5 FOOT 6
154.5 POUNDS

5 FOOT 9
156 POUNDS

IT DOESN'T GET MUCH SMALLER THAN THIS
Not bad...

…though I’d personally go with something in this vein:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=W0X0cmQAdSE

My….god…..

anybody have any idea how tickets are selling for this? UFC has zero foothold there and it starts at 8:30 a.m.

15,000

so far, according to MMAjunkie:

http://mmajunkie.com/news/27272/independent-firm-to-drug-test-ufc-144-fighters-15000-tix-sold-for-japan-show.mma

Wow! That is a really great number, if it’s actually true.

Unfortunately, I think it’s going to be real hard to figure out exactly how this is selling.

That Junkie article stating they had sold 15,000 is from Feb. 3. I’m not sure how many they have sold since then, but it’s pretty difficult to figure out how many of those are actual tickets, and how much of that is comps and papering the house. The estimate is that with Saitama set up in a UFC arena show configuration, that they can fit about 19,000. My guess is that large numbers of that “15,000” figure are not actual sales.

I would love to see MMA get some mainstream traction back in Japan, and I really hope that this event is a good start in that direction, but I’m real skeptical at the moment, especially given the timing logistics and matchmaking around the event.

that exact number

makes me think that is the result of the “sold show” format, like the pay-to-play style of the worst music clubs in LA. The co-promotion bought 15k and now has to resell them. Not sure, but that may be it.

they did sell all the shows to Dentsu (or whoever) but I think the number has been going up.

Terrible

not enough tentacles.

so why does hioki get an easy matchup but akiyama gets the thankless shields?
akiyama probably has way more in his contract so dana's making him fight for his job.
Bartimus is no joke, dude.
Because Joe Silva is clearly jealous of the sexy.

Sexyama has never had an easy fight in the UFC.

It’s like comparing a pebble to a boulder

to be fair...

they’re both irresistibly sexy. one is just more intense than the other.

I tried to find a nice shot of Silva. All the other ones he looks like that guy you shoot the shit with at your local bar

Is Sexyama drinking Old Spice?

His secret is out.

Palaszewski isn't an easy matchup.

h o l y…..s h i t…..

Someone going 2 lose their job?

Let me guess as soon as a uptight American c this Japanese AD someone going to demand the director gets fired because this AD makes fun of Godzilla, and how Asians always panic when they see Godzilla which makes this AD extremely racist??? LOL

It really rustles my jimmies that

UFC signed Issei Tamura to face Zhang instead of undefeated Keinosuke Yoshinaga because of Yoshinaga’s tattoos. I think they’re afraid of being associated with the yakuza with the tattoos at 144 (you know, on the card Kid Yamamoto’s on).

though it may be for the best since Tattoo Man is still new to the game.

It’d be kinda like the guy who wore a company’s shirt that was anti-semitist. Only thing is there’s actual proof they were racist. I think Zuffa is playing it safe no matter how fucked up that is.

Traditional Japanese tattoo work like that is largely associated with the Yakuza. He has the early start of a body suit which many in the Yakuza have, while KID’s tattoos are mostly scattered with random pieces.

example

I wonder if...

they wear the steel cup that Rogan is always talking about on broadcasts?

It's hard to look tough whilst sporting a diaper
the bad thing is, that they may probably be right

Having these tattoos in Japan is almost the same like having MS-13 tatoos in El Salvador (or in the States for the matter of fact) There is a reason why someone gets a Yakuza tattoo. Also, there are many legacies in Japan which ban those guys tattooed like this from many places or actions.

Not gonna lie, all that shit up there I TOTALLY didn’t read cause it has nothing to do with a flying octagon.

Krimson!!

Where the fuck were you, bro?! You missed out on a lot of fun.

so much fun

also: flying octagon

brent has kindly informed me of the banning of Alfxtream
well now we are back to normal

It was expected. He brought it upon himself. This has so far been the highlight of my Tuesday.

i woke up to his email today

It’s gonna be a glorious day:)

The fuck happened in here?

Some dude got out of line

We tried to educate him. Didn’t work.

k racist!

so U guys kill mexicans with unabombs is right! but i get attacked and insult back is wrong! u guys the biggest hipocrists i know.

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